Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine & Efren Renon
Hi Christine & Efren, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Salted Cow Bake started as a passion project inspired by our love for nostalgic flavors from Hawaii and Southeast Asia. My husband, Efren, and I have always enjoyed desserts that aren’t overly sweet but are still rich in flavor and texture. Butter mochi felt like the perfect way to share something unique yet familiar, with its chewy texture and deep coconut flavor.
What started as a small idea quickly grew as we shared our baked goods with friends and family. The overwhelmingly positive response led us to officially launch Salted Cow Bake as a pop-up, and from there, we expanded into wholesale, partnering with local retailers and cafés. Now, we’re preparing to launch our e-commerce store, starting with California, with plans to go nationwide before the end of the year.
It’s been an exciting journey, and at the heart of it all is our passion for creating flavors that bring people comfort and joy. We can’t wait to share more with everyone.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like any small business, our journey with Salted Cow Bake has had its challenges. Starting as a pop-up meant a lot of trial and error from figuring out what flavors resonated with people, learning how to scale production, and managing logistics with limited resources. Efren and I both love baking, but turning that passion into a business requires us to learn so much more about operations, marketing, and distribution.
One of the biggest hurdles has been balancing growth while maintaining the quality and integrity of our products. Moving into wholesale meant adjusting our recipes for larger batches without compromising flavor and texture. And now, as we prepare for e-commerce, we’re navigating packaging, shipping logistics, and ensuring our snack mixes arrive fresh to customers across California.
Despite the challenges, every step has been a learning experience. The positive feedback from our customers, seeing people get excited about our flavors, and building relationships with local retailers and cafés make all the struggles worth it. It’s been a journey of growth, and we’re excited for what’s next
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At Salted Cow Bake, we specialize in baked butter mochi and snack mixes inspired by the flavors of Hawaii and Southeast Asia. What sets us apart is our commitment to quality. We make each of our ingredients from scratch and source them from farmers’ markets whenever possible. This means that the fruits we use in our butter mochi change depending on what’s in season, ensuring the freshest flavors year-round. We also take extra care in crafting our ingredients, like our black sesame paste, which we make in-house from toasted black sesame seeds and our in house chili oil, which gives our Spicy Sinigang snack mix its bold heat.
Our butter mochi is naturally gluten-free and comes in a variety of flavors, from classic original to ube made with our housemade ube jam, Our snack mixes offer bold, savory flavors like furikake, sinigang, and Isaan laab.
One of the things we’re most proud of is staying true to our vision, which is creating desserts and snacks that are nostalgic yet unique, without being overly sweet. We love seeing people light up when they try something new yet familiar, and knowing that our handcrafted approach makes a difference in every bite.
Ultimately, Salted Cow Bake is about sharing flavors we love in a way that feels personal and intentional, and we’re excited to continue growing and reaching more people.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Although Salted Cow Bake wasn’t around during the Covid-19 crisis, I did run a food truck business at the time, and it taught me some valuable lessons. Like many others, we had to quickly adapt to the new reality of social distancing and changing customer behavior. We shifted to offering more takeout and delivery options, which helped us stay connected with our customers and maintain some level of business during the shutdowns.
The biggest lesson for me during that time was the importance of flexibility and being able to pivot quickly. The crisis also reinforced how much people appreciate comfort and connection, even in difficult times. On a broader level, the pandemic reinforced the value of small businesses and supporting local, something we are deeply passionate about. We’ve learned how important it is to build relationships with our customers and suppliers and be mindful of our impact on the community. That experience really shaped how I approach Salted Cow Bake today, where I continue to prioritize adaptability, community, and creating products that bring people joy in any season.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.saltedcowbake.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saltedcowbake
